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The differences between quality assurance specialists and senior quality assurance engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a quality assurance specialist and a senior quality assurance engineer. Additionally, a senior quality assurance engineer has an average salary of $106,802, which is higher than the $63,443 average annual salary of a quality assurance specialist.
The top three skills for a quality assurance specialist include GMP, patients and FDA. The most important skills for a senior quality assurance engineer are QA, java, and python.
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $63,443 | $106,802 |
| Hourly rate | $30.50 | $51.35 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 83,505 | 254,258 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A quality assurance specialist is an individual who is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and proposing measures to correct and improve a company's product. Quality assurance specialists need to outline quality assurance policies and procedures, making sure that quality standards are assured. It is important that a quality assurance specialist should have strong attention to detail and is excellent in data collection. This work may require a minimum of bachelor's degree and certification to get certified.
A senior quality assurance engineer oversees the testing procedures conducted in software development, ensuring technical accuracy and efficiency. They are primarily responsible for working alongside software designers and quality engineers, reviewing quality control reports, inspecting specifications, and devising particular test procedures. Moreover, it is also essential to troubleshoot issues and identify any inconsistencies or bugs. As someone with more experience in the team, they must supervise and serve as a mentor to the younger quality assurance engineers in the joint effort to develop efficient software.
Quality assurance specialists and senior quality assurance engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average salary | $63,443 | $106,802 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $97,000 | Between $82,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a quality assurance specialist and a senior quality assurance engineer in terms of educational background:
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between quality assurance specialists' and senior quality assurance engineers' demographics:
| Quality Assurance Specialist | Senior Quality Assurance Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% | Male, 68.0% Female, 32.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |